Pneumatic conveyer.



No. 884,016 Y PATENTED APR. 7, 1908.

O. L. GROVES. V PNEUMATIC GDNVEYER;

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30,1907

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PATENTED APR. 7, 1908.

I G. L. GROVES.

PNEUMATIC CONVEYER. APPLICATION nun A1511. 30.1907.

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v J r CLARENCE L. GROVES, OF HARTFORD CITY, INDIANA.

PNEUMATIC CONVEYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. April 30, 1907.

Patented April 7, 1908. Serial No. 371,155.

One object of the present invention is to provide an im roved air inlet for the fan casmg whereby t e feed of air to the fan may be readily controlled.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved mounting for the fan casing whereby it may be adjusted with respect toits contained fan to adapt the machme for handling either large or small grain or similar substances. 0

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved discharge or outlet for the machine w ereby it may e more efiectively used for loading grain or the like in cars.

A further ob ect of the invention is to improve and simplify the construction and operation of neumatic conveyers of the character mentloned and thereby render the same less ex ensive and more efficient and durable.

Wit the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of arts hereinafter described and claimed, and Illustrated in the accompanyin drawings, in which igure 1 1s a side elevation of the improved machine; Fig. 2 is a' to plan view of the same; 3 1s a vertical ongitudinal section,

v the lower portion of the su porting frame being broken away; Fig. 4 1s a detail vertical transverse section taken on the plane indicated by the line 44 in Fi 1; and Figs. 5 and 6am detail sections taien respectively on the planes indicated by the lines 5-5 and 6-6i11Fig.'1. a

My improved pneumatic conveyer comprises a supporting frame having at its to upon each slde outer and inner longltudma beams 2, 3 which are suitably connected together, as shown.

Between the inner beams 3 is arranged the fan casing 4 which is vertically adjustabl and consists of a lower base section 5 and an upper removable cover section 6. These sections 5, 6 of the casing may be made of wood, metal or any other material. The latter is detachably secured upon the former by bolts or the like 7 arranged in registering ears or lugs 8 projecting laterally from said sections at their meeting edges, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The main or base section 5 is formed at its rear end with a feed inlet or pipe 9 for the grain or other material to be handled by the machine and also with an air inlet pipe 10' which is arranged slightly above the feed pipe 9. The latter is tangentially disposed and ma be suitably connected to a hopper or theli e 11. I

In order to control the supply of air to the fan within the casing 4 for the purpose of efiectively regulating the operation of the machine, I provide the inlet pipe 10 with a controlling valve 12. The latter is in the form of a plate mounted for sliding movement across the open upper end of said pipe and, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, has secured u on its under face angle strips 13 which s idably engage the projecting inner edges of gulde strlps 14 secured upon the opposite sides of the air inlet pipe 10. These guide ortrack stri s 141. have their lower ends bent downwar ly to form stopsto limit the downward sliding or closing movement of the valve plate.

Any suitable means may be provided for retaining the valve plate in an adjusted lposition to vary the opening of the pipe 10 ut I preferably so construct the guides 13, 14 that the frictional engagement of said parts will be sufficient to maintain the valve plate in an adjusted position.

Arranged withinthe fan casing is a rotary fan 16 which may be of any'suitable form and construction and which is secured to a transverse shaft 17 projecting through vertical slots or elongated openings 18 formed in the opposite sides of the fan casing, and has its ends journaled in bearings 19 fixed u on the outer beams 2 of the frame 1. he fan may be driven in any suitable manner but as illustrated I preferably provide upon one of the projectingends of its shaft a pulley 20 and connect the same by a belt 21 to a pulley 22 suitably journaled in the lower portion of the frame 1 and having upon one end of its shaft a crank handle 23. I also preferably rovide upon the other rojecting end of the fan shaft 17 a fly wheel 24 which latter is arranged between the beams 2,3,

'enga e the outwardly projecting lugs 26,

of its branches 30 and direct the grain into It is thought that the construction, 0 eration and advantages of my invention Wlll be readily understoo from the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and further explanation is therefore deemed unnecessary.

While I have shown and described in detail the preferred embodiment of the invention it will be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise showing herein set forth and that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the sco e of the appended claims.

Ifaving thus described my invention what claim and desire to secure by- Letters atent is 1. A neumatic conveyer comprising a fan, a c lindrical fan chamber having at substantia ly opposite points ference the tangential feed and outlet pipes 9, 28, and also having the air inlet pipe 10 arranged in its circumference immediately above the feed pipe 9 and a valve plate transversely slidable across said air inlet pipe, substantially as set forth.

2. 'A pneumatic conveyer comprising a fan, a fan chamber having tangential feed and outlet pipes, an air inlet pipe opening into the chamber adjacent to the feed pi e, guides u on said airinlet pipe and a val ve plate sli ably engaged with said guides and movable across said air inlet pipe, for the purpose set forth.

3. A pneumatic conveyer comprising a support, afan casing arranged thereon and consisting of a base section having an 0 en top, a discharge pipe at one end and a eed ipe and an air inlet pipe at its other end, a

an in said fan casing, a removable cover sec- .tion secured upon the open topof said base section of the fan casing and means for controlling the passage of air through said ai-r inlet pipe. 7

4. A pneumatic conveyer comprising a supporting frame, afan, a shaft for the fan journaled in bearings upon said frame and a casing for the fan adjustable transversely with respect to its shaft to vary tween the outer ends of the blades 0 the fan and the inner face of the casing, substantially as set forth.

upon one side of the machine, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The fan casing 4 is made vertically adjustable for the purpose of shifting it with respect to its contained fan 16 and thereby adapting the machine for handling different sized grain or similar material. This vertical adjustment of the casing is effectedby supporting it upon set screws 25 arranged vertically in the inner beams 3 and'adapted to have their upper ends engage laterally projecting lugs 26 formed upon the sides of the base section 5 of the fan casing adjacent to its upper edge, as shown in Fig. 1. The fan casing is guided in its vertical sliding movement by the engagement of its sides with the inner faces of the beams 3 and also by upright guide posts 27 which project vertically from the beams 3 and slidably upon its'circumas I be understood upon reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The fan casing may, however, be mounted and guided in its sliding movement by any other suitable means than the foregoing.

At the front end of the fan casing is formed an outlet or discharge pipe 28 upon which is .detachably mounted a conveying ipe 29 having two diverging or opposite y projecting branches 30. The detachable con- 29 is effected by w ll readily fit over or telescope the former and by providing hooks 31 which are pivoted upon opposite sides of the pi e 28 and adapted to engage eyes or the l' e 32 upon opposite sides of the pipe 29. Arranged 1n this conveying pipe 29 is a combined valve, and deflector '33 which may be swung to either side of said pipe to close one 1ts other branch or which may be set into central position in the pipe 29 to divide the stream of grain so that half of it passes through each of the pi es 30.v This valve 33 is In the form of a p ate secured upon a vertical pivot 34 which has its upper end rojecting above the top of the pipe 29 and bent to form a handle. The conveying pi e 29 with its two branches 30 is especla y designed for use upon the machine in loading grain upon cars, in which case the frame 1 is set close to the car track and the pipe 29 is applied to its discharge endor ipe 28 so that the branches 30 project into t e car and towards the opposite end of the latter.

Upon reference to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be noted that the branch pipes 30 are of peculiar form, that is, of semi-circular shape in cross section and have their flat ortions or. walls 35 disposed vertically. I- have found that when thebranch pipes 30 are thus provided ortions 35, the grain will be more effective y directed through said branch casing, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. A pneumatic conveyer, comprising a supporting frame, a fan, a shaft for the fan journaled in bearings upon said frame, a casthe sfpacebeing for the fan carried by the frame and movable transversely with respect to the fan shaft to vary the space between the ends of the fan blades and the inner face of the wall of the casing, means for adjusting said fan casing, and means for guiding said fan casing in its sliding movement, substantially as set forth.

7. A pneumatic conveyer comprising a supporting frame, a fan, a shaft for the fan journaled in bearings on the frame, a fan casing slidable transversely with respect to the fan shaft to vary the s ace between the ends of the blades of the an and the inner face of the wall of the casing, lugs carried by the casing, and set screws arranged in the frame and engaged with said lugs for adjustably supporting the casing.

8. A pneumatic conveyer comprising a supporting frame, a fan having its shaft journaled in bearings upon said frame, a casing for the fan, lugs projecting from the opposite sides of said casing, set screws in said frame to engage said lugs and means for guiding said casing in its sliding movement. 9. A pneumatic conveyer comprising a fan casing having a discharge pipe, a conducting pipe projecting from said discharge pipe and diverging branches upon the outer end of said conducting pipe, each of said branches having the flat vertically extending walls 35, substantially as and for the purpose specified. In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE L. GROVES. Witnesses:

JOHN A. BONHAM, GEORGE P. AYRES. 

